What has been called the Tea Party movement has been much in the news these days. Whether it is a movement for good or will is not at issue here. Nor are we engaged in speculations about the future. That said, current concerns can be occasions for investigations into the past. With that in mind, let's look at other bottom-up movements in American history. Your charge in this essay is to compare and contrast three such movements in the American past: the puritan movement to America and in America; the Sons of Liberty and the road to the American revolution, and the Jacksonian movement of the 1820s and 1830s. What were the strengths and weaknesses of each movement? Which was the most legitimate and why? Which was the least legitimate and why? Lastly, how would you compare any two of these movements with the current Tea Party movement?